Realizing your relationship is toxic can make breaking up
easier, but moving on from someone who makes you feel unaccepted or anxious is
a step you absolutely have to make, the sooner the better.

Find out how to get out of a toxic relationship, from
finding the courage to surrounding yourself with people who can help. If your
partner is taking a lot from you emotionally with or without giving anything
back, here’s how to start the process of recovery for yourself.

Get in Touch with
Your Emotions

The first thing you need to do is accept that your significant
other is the reason for your misery. If you feel criticized or controlled in a
way that’s clearly negative, embrace that. Healthy relationships are based on
mutual respect and support. If you’re not getting that, and instead you find
yourself subjected to a judgmental or belittling attitude, accept that the
relationship is toxic and it has to end.

Stop Blaming Yourself

When you want to get out of a toxic relationship, it’s
important to work on your self esteem and inner strength. You can’t blame yourself
for your partner’s damaging attitude. Nobody deserves to feel weak, anxious or
constantly criticized in a relationship. You didn’t do anything to deserve it,
and you have to find the strength to move from the destructive person you
mistakenly trusted with your heart.

Find Support Outside
of the Relationship

Start focusing on the positive and supportive people in your
life. Even if you lost touch with some of them, start reconnecting. Having a
good support system is very important in moving on from a toxic partner. Friends
and family can be very helpful when it comes to breaking up with someone who
clearly makes you miserable.

Use Helpful
Affirmations

Building the confidence to get out of a toxic relationship
is easier if you use positive affirmations. Start telling yourself that you
deserve better, that you can be happy. Any kind of motivational message can
help you if it’s positive and you make the effort to repeat to yourself when
you’re feeling down.

Have a Plan

If your toxic partner is also controlling, it’s important to
have a plan in place before the break up. You can even ask positive people to
help you out in creating and executing your plan. Figure out what you have to
say to your future ex and how you can put an end to any connection you have, so
you can move on with your life.

Visualize the Breakup

When you’re trying to get out of a toxic relationship, visualizing it can be very helpful in building up courage to go through with
it. Consider yourself broken up and allow yourself a sigh of relief before actually
doing it. That might help you end it quicker and easier.

Don’t Extend the
Process

Depending on how manipulative your toxic partner is, it’s
important to keep the breakup as short as possible. If you’ve made up your
mind, don’t let yourself get dragged into long discussions, especially since
you know he only wants to keep emotionally abusing you, and he’ll probably say
anything to get you to stay.

Sever Any Ties

Once you get out of a toxic relationship, it’s important to
sever all ties. You’ve already wasted more time than you should have with him,
and keeping it touch will not do you any good. Of course, if children are
involved, things aren’t that clear cut. If your decision doesn’t affect anyone
but you, walk away and never look back.

Start Healing

Things won’t get rosy right away once you end a toxic
relationship. You have a lot of work ahead of you, when it comes to rebuilding
your confidence. Start healing on your own terms, but always make sure that
you have both alone time and time with positive and supportive people who
genuinely care about you.

Accept That It Gets
Easier with Each Passing Day

Change can be very scary, but once you’ve managed to get out
of a toxic relationship, it will get easier. If you’ve been neglecting yourself,
focus on both your emotional and intellectual needs and find the right way to
get back to loving yourself. Once you do that, you’ll be ready for a new
relationship.